Reconfigurable flat panel displays have been used in automotive instrument clusters to electronically portray indicia, alphanumeric characters and legends customarily provided in printed or painted gauge faces. The advantages of the electronic approach include user-definability in terms of color and layout, and the ability to display different parameters or information in a single gauge-space. Although the current value of a parameter can be indicated in different ways, many people prefer displays that include a mechanical pointer or needle, even though the flat panel display can be used to electronically portray a pointer. However, providing a mechanical pointer in front of a flat panel display is non-trivial because it is impractical to drill a hole in the display to accommodate the pointer shaft.